CHAPTER 327: CHAPTER 324: WIN-WIN (BONUS CHAPTER)

Seeing that the Clan Leader of Lin wouldn’t accept it, Lin Wanwan’s eyes darted around, and she quickly changed her tone: "Oh, I misspoke, Uncle Clan Leader, it’s not a gift but a trade. This thing is great at repelling mosquitoes. Uncle Clan Leader, could you help me inform the clansmen that they can trade some seafood for it if they want it? People must have plenty of seafood after the last couple of days at the beach."

The Clan Leader of Lin shook his head and sighed, "Oh, you, you always think of supporting the clan. You must know that human hearts are never satisfied. Take it back quickly, such a good thing, us rough folks don’t deserve it."

Lin Wanwan giggled, "Uncle Clan Leader, you don’t understand. Mosquito bites should not be underestimated. If bitten too much, one’s luck can turn, and they could easily fall ill. My mosquito coil is extremely effective at repelling mosquitoes; it’s for the children of the clan."

The Clan Leader of Lin chuckled dismissively. It seemed absurd that a few mosquito bites could cause illness. For so many years, haven’t we always got through the summer in this way?

Well, Wanwan was raised with abundance by her mythical teacher, unaware of the hardships of the world, always bringing forth new ideas daily.

"Off you go, head home quickly now, don’t linger around here." The Clan Leader of Lin shook his head and waved his hand, dismissing Lin Wanwan.

Because the Clan Leader of Lin wouldn’t let the clansmen take advantage of Lin Wanwan, Lin Wanwan took Hong Yan and the basket of mosquito coils back home. As she walked, people greeted her, and she spread the word that they could trade seafood or mountain goods for mosquito coils.

Soon enough, clansmen brought seafood to her door for trade, mostly young people willing to embrace new things and eager to visit Lin Wanwan’s home.

Upon hearing they could trade seafood for mosquito coils, they hurried over to get something fresh.

Knowing that Lin Wanwan liked to eat crabs and shellfish, everyone had saved some for her during their beach outings a couple of days ago.

Lin Mengbo brought her three large blue crabs and a bowl of shellfish, and Lin Wanwan returned the favor with ten plates of scentless mosquito coils, sufficient for them to use for an entire summer.

In terms of value, Lin Wanwan certainly profited greatly; however, in the hearts of the people from Lin Family Manor, they felt that they had taken advantage of Lin Wanwan once again and were a bit embarrassed.

Actually, it was a win-win situation, the bartering master was just that brilliant.

Everyone understood the value of keeping quiet externally and only enjoying the mosquito coils within their family. They knew better than to flaunt wealth.

Upon hearing this, the Clan Leader shook his head; this silly girl is so good to the clansmen, what happens when they start expecting more generosity later on! She’s quite a handful, never listening to his advice.

However, one night while sleeping, he suddenly smelled a faint scent in the room, much lighter than the incense at the temple, yet definitely present.

He groped in the dark and saw a glowing red dot in the corner, precisely a scentless mosquito coil!

He woke up his wife Niu Shi, questioning her why even she went and took advantage of Lin Wanwan’s offer.

Niu Shi, waking from her slumber, replied irritably: "Knowing your strong principles, how dare I trade for it. It’s some summer benefit distributed by the wives’ school! Your wife gifting it to you, just use it with ease, alright, go back to sleep!"

"Isn’t that still taking advantage of Wanwan?" The Clan Leader muttered as he lay back down, nothing interesting without anyone responding.

Actually, for the children, mosquito nets are better, being both eco-friendly and convenient.

In the Tang Dynasty, mosquito nets were called "wenzhou" or "wenchou," and different classes used different materials. Nobles and the wealthy used silk and satin, commoners used fine linen, while the poor couldn’t afford any.

Unfortunately, the people of Lin Family Manor fell into the group that couldn’t afford them.

Why didn’t Lin Wanwan directly bring modern mosquito nets over, you ask? It’s because similar modern mesh-style mosquito nets were too valuable in the Great Tang, a rarity even among noble classes, so she certainly couldn’t give them to the clan.

Though fine linen mosquito nets weren’t expensive, they weren’t easy to buy either, as in the Tang dynasty, households often had women who could weave their own fabrics, with little need for technical skill, living self-sufficiently without needing to buy.

With no buying market, naturally there wouldn’t be any for sale. That is to say, Lin Wanwan couldn’t find them in the market.

So after consideration, Lin Wanwan could only opt to buy mosquito coils.

Scentless mosquito coils burn daily into ash, unnoticed; if mosquito nets were hung in every household, they’d certainly draw too much attention.

Lin Wanwan wanted to silently improve the quality of life for her clansmen, not make an ostentatious display.

Within just a day, everyone at Lin Family Manor was talking about the miraculous effects of the mosquito coils. With no mosquitoes buzzing around their ears, they indeed slept much more comfortably.

In July, cotton fields began to sprout bollworms. Without pesticides, everyone could only resort to handpicking them.

Though it should have been farming rest season, due to picking bollworms, everyone became busy again. Tending to cotton fields was truly meticulous, as these lands determined their food, clothing, and essentials for the year.

Lin Wanwan also organized the children to go down to the fields to catch bollworms once, treating it as a labor lesson. The caught worms were fed to the chickens and ducks at the school, not wasting a bit.

On the modern side, the renovation of the house left by her parents in Hai City was completed. Lin Wanwan took along the professional she hired to inspect the house.

During the renovation period, something happened that left Lin Wanwan speechless. Her uncle, who had now settled in Hai City, at some point approached the renovation workers trying to wheedle them into giving him the keys to the main gate.

Fortunately, Lin Wanwan had hired a professional big renovation team, with many rules, and they wouldn’t just hand out keys to anyone claiming to be the homeowner’s elder.

This incident reached Lin Wanwan’s ears, leaving her speechless. She was even more speechless when Lin Zhantian shamelessly brought up renting her house again, which she firmly refused once more.

Lin Wanwan understood he likely hadn’t given up yet and still had her house in mind!

Therefore, Lin Wanwan later directly asked the renovation workers to replace the ordinary peephole with a recording electronic peephole and swap the lock for a fingerprint electronic lock.

Stepping back into the house her parents left behind, seeing the brand new renovation inside, Lin Wanwan was filled with mixed emotions.

The American-style decor, paired with warm-toned furniture and curtains, made the whole house feel cozy. It would be even better with some warmth from people.

Unfortunately, Lin Wanwan was destined not to live here often, at most coming for occasional visits.

The house had been lived in by others for so many years; any traces of the family of three had long disappeared. The new renovation marked a new beginning.

Regardless, it was the house left to her by her parents.

Calling it home was too forced; a place with family truly counts as home. This place no longer fit that definition, as now she only had a home in the Tang Dynasty.

Some soft furnishings were still missing, which could make it appear cozier, but Lin Wanwan didn’t plan to live there, making her lazy to buy them, leaving them to gather dust when unoccupied.

Lin Wanwan planned to buy a blanket to keep there, for sleeping over sometimes, then store it away in the closet when not in use.

Although having a house vacant long-term wasn’t ideal, she couldn’t bear to rent it out. She’d prefer the extra travel between two places.